Stage 12 at the 2023 Dakar Rally saw the conclusion of the two-part Marathon Stage. Competitors had been separated from their mechanics for two days and forced to make any necessary repairs themselves to complete 450km of racing in the dunes. With the massive loop over Empty Quarter dunes now done and dusted, let’s see who has risen and fallen in the general classification…
A fifth consecutive stage win for Sébastien Loeb has seen the nine-time WRC winner move up to second overall in the car race. Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lurquin have been setting the pace since the Rest Day in their BRX Hunter and are now just one place off the overall lead.
« It was a perfect day: no mistakes, no stalling, no about turns. We drove well and the car worked perfectly. Second place is our goal, that’s why we’re pushing. » – Sébastien Loeb
The one car still ahead of Loeb in the general classification is the Toyota Hilux T1+ belonging to Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel overcame the two-part Marathon Stage with minimal fuss. Four-time Dakar champion Al-Attiyah now has just two stages to successfully complete before he can celebrate a fifth title at the world’s most brutal rally.
« It’s good to finish the marathon stage and bring the car back in good condition. If we finish in the Top 5 each day, that’s OK for me, we have a big enough lead. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
Rookie Lucas Moraes may have finally conceded second place overall to Loeb on Stage 12, but the Brazilian driver still has a spot on the podium to protect. The gap to the driver in fourth overall stands at just under an hour. Moraes and his experienced co-driver Timo Gottschalk now have the final finish line in Dammam in their sights.
« We’re still on the podium so we will fight hard to hold this place until the rally ends in two more days. » – Lucas Moraes
The leading rider in the bike race has changed every day since the Rest Day in Riyadh. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Toby Price and Kevin Benavides plus Husqvarna biker Skyler Howes are locked in an ever evolving battle for supremacy.
At the conclusion of Stage 12 it’s two-time Dakar bike race winner Toby Price who has put himself back on top. However, the gaps are still small and Price’s lead over second place Howes is just 28 seconds.
« The Empty Quarter has delivered what they said it was going to do. There was a lot of sand and a lot of nothing out here. » – Toby Price
For Price, Howes and Benavides there’s nothing left to do except ride the best two stages you can on the way to Dammam and hope that it’s enough to bring home the win. After such a close race, it’s going to be tough to take for the two riders of this trio who eventually miss out on victory at the 2023 Dakar.
It was a solid conclusion to the Marathon Stage in the T3 category for the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA presented by BFGoodrich. First of all there was a win on Stage 12 for Mitch Guthrie Jr. and co-driver Kellon Walch in their T3-M by MCE5 machine.
« Today we had a great day. No problems, the car was fast. I think we overtook about 75 cars and won the stage. » – Mitch Guthrie Jr.
Guthrie Jr.’s team-mates AJ Jones and co-driver Gustavo Gugelmin were also applauded back to the Shaybah bivouac as they now hold the overall T3 lead. Jones’s closest competitors are the fellow Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team crew of Seth Quintero/Dennis Zenz as 1h 4m 37s separates first and second overall in the T3 rankings.
« We’ve kept our lead the way it is, so everything is all good over here. For sure, the Empty Quarter is not my favourite – I’m not going to lie – but everyone has to do it, and it is pretty; it’s nice to look at. » – AJ Jones
It was an expert drive on both legs of the Marathon Stage from T4 race leader Rokas Baciuška. The 23-year-old Lithuanian finished third overall last year and now looks set to take the big prize alongside co-driver Oriol Vidal.
« Two days more, just two days more… Pedal to the metal, that’s the only strategy to do. » – Rokas Baciuška
Tomorrow’s Stage 13 is the final chance for the convoy to surf the Empty Quarter dunes at this edition of the Dakar. A 153km timed special stage leaves the door open to one last serious attack by competitors who want to lift themselves a place or two higher in the rankings before the chequered flag falls in Dammam.
Selected Overall Standings after Stage 12
T1 Car Class
1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) – Toyota, 41:16:25
2. Sébastien Loeb (FRA) – BRX, +01:27:10
3. Lucas Moraes (BRA) – Toyota, +01:29:11
4. Giniel De Villiers (ZAF) – Toyota, +02:22:21…
17. Mattias Ekström (SWE) – Audi, +06:54:02…
20. Kuba Przygoński (POL) – Mini, +07:25:20…
33. Laia Sanz (ESP) – Astara, +18:49:05…
T3 Lightweight Prototype
1. AJ Jones (USA) – Can-Am, 47:39:47
2. Seth Quintero (USA) – Can-Am, +01:04:37
3. Guillaume De Mevius (BEL) – OT3, +01:25:50
4. Chaleco López (CHL) – Can-Am, +03:04:08
5. Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) – Can-Am, +03:06:50…
10. Ignacio Casale (CHL) – Yamaha, +07:08:36…
24. Mitch Guthrie Jr. (USA) – MCE5, +27:54:43…
T4 SSV
1. Rokas Baciuška (LTU) – Can-Am, 49:02:02
2. Eryk Goczal (POL) – Can-Am, +07:43
3. Marek Goczal (POL) – Can-Am, +16:43…
Bikes
1. Toby Price (AUS) – KTM, 40:47:36
2. Skyler Howes (USA) – HUSQVARNA, +00:28
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG) – KTM, +02:40…
7. Daniel Sanders (AUS) – GASGAS, +20:03…
9. Matthias Walkner (AUT) – KTM, +44:45…
14. Štefan Svitko (SVK) – KTM, +01:34:34
38. Mohammed Balooshi (ARE) – HUSQVARNA, +09:04:00…
QUOTES
Sébastien Loeb: « It was a perfect day: no mistakes, no stalling, no about turns. We drove well and the car worked perfectly. Second place is our goal, that’s why we’re pushing. I prefer to be in the situation we are in now than the one in the first week. We’ve made a big comeback. In general, we’ve had a good rally, but we haven’t had much luck. But that’s just the way it is. I didn’t think we’d manage to climb back up to second. I thought we could get fifth place, but three excellent drivers like Carlos, Stéphane and Yazeed were removed from the equation. So, from then on, I was aiming for second place. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « It’s good to finish the marathon stage and bring the car back in good condition. If we finish in the Top 5 each day, that’s OK for me, we have a big enough lead. I’m happy with our day and I hope we can continue like this. We’ll attack more on the next race! »
Lucas Moraes: « This Marathon Stage was tough, so many big dunes to cross. I think my lack of experience showed a few times. What is great is making it to the end of these two days. We’re still on the podium so we will fight hard to hold this place until the rally ends in two more days. »
Mattias Ekstrom: « I think it’s a good school for me, driving here. I’m very happy. No technical issues, no problems – everything was working fine. In two places, I chose the wrong route when we were over a dune so I made a little detour, but in general it was very good. We will try and bring the car to the finish, that’s the main goal. »
Toby Price: « The Empty Quarter has delivered what they said it was going to do. There was a lot of sand and a lot of nothing out here. But other than that, the body feels good, the bike feels good. It’s been a long two weeks. »
Daniel Sanders: « Tomorrow, we’ll see where we start, hopefully we’ll be back a bit and push to try and win it, then the last day is reverse order, so it doesn’t matter if you win tomorrow, you start last of the bikes so all the lines are already there. It will be good fun. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: “Because we lost so much time yesterday, we started as the 134th car onto the stage this morning. Today we had a great day. No problems, the car was fast. I think we overtook about 75 cars and won the stage.”
AJ Jones: « We’ve kept our lead the way it is, so everything is all good over here. For sure, the Empty Quarter is not my favourite – I’m not going to lie – but everyone has to do it, and it is pretty; it’s nice to look at. Sometimes driving in it is a little bit sketchy. So, I’m excited there’s only two more days of it. »
Seth Quintero: « The Marathon Stage treated us pretty well. On day one we kind of just cruised to the finish line inside the Top 5. We ended up moving up to P2 overall on that stage. We’re still an hour off P1 so there’s a lot of work to do there if there’s even a chance for us. We’re going to keep fighting no matter what. »
Ignacio Casale: « It was an excellent stage! The start of this Dakar wasn’t easy for us, we had lots of worries and many problems. But we’re developing a vehicle that has potential and which is promising. We’ve been in the dunes for a few days and I feel good on them, it’s my speciality. »
Chaleco López: « This hasn’t been an easy rally for us, but we’ve kept fighting every day. Now we just have two more stages to go and we’re looking forward to crossing the finish line. Our rally has been stop and start, it’s been difficult to get a good rhythm going. The Dakar can be like this. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « The Marathon Stage was fine for us. We started yesterday with a lot of energy and we had a very good day on the dunes of the Empty Quarter. The car worked perfectly on both days. Now I want to enjoy the final two days of the rally. »
Rokas Baciuška: « Finally, just two stages more! Today there were good dunes, big dunes which were fun to drive. It’s really huge, the Empty Quarter – I’ve never been here, so I like that. Today we drove easily to save the car and to bring it safely to the bivouac, so before the last two days they can fix the car and properly check everything. Two days more, just two days more… Pedal to the metal, that’s the only strategy to do. »